Schedule also available in Google Calendar →
Shop, mingle, and welcome the weekend with the friendly local businesses on our block! We’re open late so you have time to visit everyone!
Hosted at Hemmingway District Shops (137 to 179 S. Oak Park Ave.)
Join local author Carolyn Armstrong as we celebrate the release of the newest chapter book in her Eco Warriors series. Make Way for Monarchs takes readers on a climate change-themed adventure with tween sisters Sydney and Sierra. This time, they’re in the mountains of Mexico, where millions of monarch butterflies need their help! Learn fascinating facts about the annual monarch migration and create your own butterfly to take home.
Tickets are free. Registration is now open.
Hosted at Dandelion Bookshop (139 S. Oak Park Ave.)
Join us in collaboration with The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) as we explore how to discover, design and develop your world. We will cover topics like rules, geography, culture and timelines. Then we will dive deep into creating your main character, be it a hero or villain. We’ll end our discussion on how to create your hook. Come prepared to write! Free and open to the public.
Hosted at Dandelion Bookshop (139 S. Oak Park Ave.)
Sip freshly brewed coffee or cold brew while you shop for your next read! Swelter Coffee is a local, woman-owned brand featuring ethically sourced coffee from women producers.
Hosted at Dandelion Bookshop (139 S. Oak Park Ave.)
Join six authors and writing instructors for their favorite writing tips and a taste of their work in a rare and convivial evening featuring Susan Bono, Katherine Heimann Brown, Lisa Manterfield, Ginny Rorby, Norma Watkins, and Shirin Yim Leos.
Tickets are free. Registration is now open.
Hosted at Dandelion Bookshop (139 S. Oak Park Ave.)
Join us for our monthly journaling meetup inspired by Suleika Jaouad’s The Book of Alchemy. She describes a journaling club as “a gathering that’s equal parts tender and mischievous. A way to meet new people or go deeper with old friends. To write together. To share—or not share. To surprise yourself.”
This event will be hosted by Carisa Deegan, a Brookfield-based journaler, Creative Strategist, and Integration Partner dedicated to holding space for community, self-expression, and creative connection.
Tickets are free. Registration is now open.
Hosted at Dandelion Bookshop (139 S. Oak Park Ave.)
The stars have aligned for our next poetry reading! In collaboration with Erie Street Press, we’re thrilled to host a constellation of local poets featuring Caroline Johnson, Beatriz Badikian-Gartler, David Gecic, Ixta Menchaca, Pam Miller, and James Madigan.
Hosted at Dandelion Bookshop (139 S. Oak Park Ave.)
Join us in collaboration with Housing Forward for a conversation with legal advocate and author Maria Foscarinis, founder of the National Homelessness Law Center and a leading voice in housing justice. In her new book, And Housing For All, she argues that only by recognizing housing as a fundamental human right can we end homelessness in America.
Drawing on more than three decades of personal stories and advocacy work, Foscarinis offers insight into why past efforts have failed and what will change as we enter a new era of federal leadership. Following her conversation with WBEZ Communities Reporter Esther Yoon-Ji Kang, Foscarinis will be available for an audience Q&A, and a post event reception and book signing. Free and open to the public.
Hosted at Unity Temple (875 Lake St.)
Do you love stories that send chills down your spine? Have you ever tried to write one of your own? Celebrate spooky season with us as we host Wendy Parris, author of Stage Fright and Field of Screams. Listen to Wendy’s scary stories, then start your own during a mini writing workshop.
For readers ages 8-12. Tickets are free. Registration is now open.
Hosted at Dandelion Bookshop (139 S. Oak Park Ave.)
Join authors Robin Currie, Andrea Friederici Ross, and Sara Shacter as they celebrate their new book releases and discuss publishing across age groups. What does drafting a children’s picture book have in common with generating adult nonfiction? Do agent hunts, acquisition meetings, or marketing campaigns differ across markets? Bring your questions!
Order your copies now:
Hosted at Dandelion Bookshop (139 S. Oak Park Ave.)
Halloween is almost here! Are you ready? Join us for a spooky and sweet story time with Janet Nolan, author of Get Ready for Halloween and Bats Beneath the Bridge, then decorate a treat bag and trick-or-treat in the bookshop. Costumes welcome!
Tickets are free. Registration is now open.
Hosted at Dandelion Bookshop (139 S. Oak Park Ave.)
Local Chicagoland authors Beth and Kathleen Rooney read from their debut picture book Leaf Town Forever. The book, illustrated by Betsy Bowen, is based on a true story and tells a gentle tale of a town created by children with vivid imaginations, and, of course, leaves. Unfurling over the cycle of seasons, this timeless saga captures the fleeting beauty of creative play, reminding kids and adults alike that some dreams are worth protecting. Enjoy hearing a reading from Beth and Kathleen along with leaf-related crafts and a brief haiku workshop.
Hosted at Oak Park Public Library - Main Branch, Veterans Room (834 Lake St.)
